1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a pendant type adjustment pedal apparatus that can achieve various operation modes of an accelerator pedal.
2. Description of Related Art
The positions of pedals (an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal) for a vehicle are generally fixed. For this reason, in order to fit the pedals to physical characteristics of a driver, clearance is adjusted by pushing or pulling a seat.
However, an adjustment pedal apparatus makes the accelerator pedal interlock with the brake pedal and moves the positions of the pedals by generating power through the operation of a switch. Accordingly, the adjustment pedal apparatus has convenience without inconvenience in pushing or pulling a seat.
Among various methods of improving the fuel efficiency of a vehicle, there is a method of reducing the unnecessary operation of an accelerator pedal. For example, there is an operation mode pedal apparatus that can reduce the number of operations of the accelerator pedal by making a driver feel a reaction, which is different from a foot effort of the accelerator pedal, according to the running condition of a vehicle.
This operation mode is usually called an eco mode. Unlike a normal mode that a driver feels a reaction through a spring when stepping on a pedal, the eco mode is achieved as follows: when a driver steps on a pedal, a reaction having different magnitude is transmitted to a driver by separate power so as to make a driver takes one's foot off from the pedal, thereby improving fuel efficiency.
As an example of a method of applying a reaction by using power in the eco mode, there is a method using a motor and a clutch.
In the eco mode where the motor and the clutch are used as a power source as described above, a stator is electrically magnetized by current that flows in a coil (field coil) wound on the stator. When a rotor including a permanent magnet is rotated, the eco mode makes a driver feel a reaction, which is different from a foot effort, by a force that is transmitted trough a joint so as to prevent the rotation of a clutch disc, so that a driver takes one's foot off from the pedal.
However, if the motor and the clutch are applied to achieve the eco mode as described above, a structure becomes complicated and manufacturing cost is increased due to the increase of the number of components.
Further, the above-mentioned motor and clutch are operated while the rotor and the clutch disc come into contact with or are separated from each other during operation. For this reason, much operation noise is generated.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.